3 Reasons To Use Audiobooks With Your Special Needs Learner

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Welcome to the #TechieHomeschool IRL blog series!  In this post, my guest Penny assures you that it's ok if you dislike reading aloud, and why audiobooks will be a wonderful resource for you to use in your special needs homeschool.

Do you hate reading aloud?

(All the homeschool Mommas collectively gasp in shock.)

Does your voice give out long before you’re done with a chapter? Are there times when you just don’t have time to sit and read?

At times I agree with all three of these statements!  I want to share why audiobooks are a great addition to your special needs homeschool.

3 Reasons To Use Audiobooks 

It allows the child to move around, use their hands, or get other sensory input that is needed  in their daily sensory diet. 

In my experience homeschooling children with various special needs, all benefited from doing something with their hands while listening to a story.

I know you’re thinking this isn’t possible. But by letting them meet their sensory needs or move about, they are able to listen better.

Seriously, I promise this works. If you want confirmation that they are listening, you can have them narrate the story back to you. Be prepared to be surprised at what they hear and remember.

It makes productive use of travel time to and from therapy appointments. 

Part of being a special needs parent is the overwhelming amount of therapy appointments. You spend a lot of time in the car. A lot of time. 

What has worked for my family is to pick an audiobook that we only listen to IN THE CAR. This helps to build excitement for the drive and the story. We will listen all the way to therapy and maybe all the way home. 

Why maybe for the return home? Depending on the intensity and/or length of the therapy appointment, the child may be dysregulated and tired. We start with a snack, a drink, and a quiet car. If and only if the child asks do we turn on the story. 

Sometimes you need to use your time elsewhere.

You’re only one person. You have things to do, other children to homeschool, a house to keep, or even a remote job that needs attention. There are only so many minutes in a day.

Using an audiobook as part of your curriculum frees up your time. It’s one thing that doesn’t suffer having someone else handle it. I will caution if you’re going to have your child narrate afterwards, you either know the story or listen at the same time.

What does that look like? Here in Autismland, it means that the audiobook is playing while we’re eating lunch if it’s a story I need to hear too. It could be  playing while I’m doing laundry or dishes (both chores never end) or helping another child in an adjacent room.  

Don’t be scared to use audiobooks in your homeschool. The best part of homeschooling is that you can do what works for your family. My kid’s favorite memories of homeschooling have been listening to audiobooks. I’ve been able to introduce so much more good literature to my kids using audiobooks.

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